I think she will go for the 2018 Olympics. I am already pretty sure a Russian wont be winning the next Games (and I am not even talking about sotnikova who I will be shocked if she even is still around or tries for 2018, or Julia who I am pretty sure will be done due to her body by then; but whichever Russian is on top by then such as Radianova and new faces will face backlash in the 2018 Games scoring in South Korea after the 2014 debacle and what they did to South Korea's hero). So that leaves who as her competition. Gold, Kim if she returns somehow but she wont have been skating full time the way Mao will have been so at a disadvantage, whoever new might emerge by then, Osmond, Edmunds. I think her chances of winning the next Olympic gold are great.

She has improved her jump technique and skating alot the last 2 years, which started as a plan to go back to stratch 4 years ago. Still being quite young she will likely keep improving it along that plan, making her even harder to beat.

And if there will be a backlash will you complain just as passionately as you do now?

And if there will be a backlash will you complain just as passionately as you do now?

I think you are asking a wrong question. Those who support corruption and fixing now will have nothing to complain about similar incidents in the future. Those who criticize and seek a reform now will have freedom to choose from multiple logical positions in case such a backlash occurs in 2018.

I think you are asking a wrong question. Those who support corruption and fixing now will have nothing to complain about similar incidents in the future. Those who criticize and seek a reform now will have freedom to choose from multiple logical positions in case such a backlash occurs in 2018.

So what you're basically saying that you'll complain only if you don't like the winner.

^ How do you get that out of my post, after you yourself highlighted the part? I said logical positions, that is, principled positions. I will spell them out later if you want me to. I am on mobile currently.

ew, anyway i have no idea what Asada wants. She seems to have got her inspiration from Russian tradition of art and figure skating so maybe she can go Russia and stay with strong people whom she respect much and try more difficult thing. It can give new motivation. But she has had some physical problem, i do not know minor or serious. Im just guessing.

I think she will go for the 2018 Olympics. I am already pretty sure a Russian wont be winning the next Games (and I am not even talking about sotnikova who I will be shocked if she even is still around or tries for 2018, or Julia who I am pretty sure will be done due to her body by then; but whichever Russian is on top by then such as Radianova and new faces will face backlash in the 2018 Games scoring in South Korea after the 2014 debacle and what they did to South Korea's hero). So that leaves who as her competition. Gold, Kim if she returns somehow but she wont have been skating full time the way Mao will have been so at a disadvantage, whoever new might emerge by then, Osmond, Edmunds. I think her chances of winning the next Olympic gold are great.

She has improved her jump technique and skating alot the last 2 years, which started as a plan to go back to stratch 4 years ago. Still being quite young she will likely keep improving it along that plan, making her even harder to beat.

It would be great to see her continue, though she should take at least one season off. One additional piece of history she could (should) try making is becoming the first woman to land 4 triples in the SP as her 3-3 is basically restored to its 2008-09 level and her flutz is now a very consistent jump. In short, do the first minute of her Sochi LP then throw in the next 4 (5 if the spiral is restored) elements in whatever order she pleases and welcome to Mao making history as usual. Another thing I wish she would do is perform more earlier in the program and do her old spirals. This quad she was always restoring and rebuilding, but if she continues there's a lot she could still accomplish and there's still room for her to grow further.

I think she should retire after this season as she planned. Her body seems worn down/ it's more difficult for her to do some of her triples than it used to be. I'm glad she had such a wonderful skate in the Sochi LP- for me, hers and Kostner's were the best of the night- but I hope she doesn't try to go another 4 years.

I am not so sure it would be great to see Mao continues - if she wants too I guess okay but really she has not corrected her techniques with jumps. She stopped growing as an artst and she has consistency problems. She gambled with the triple axel and it hasn't worked out. I think it will be hard for her to try to motivate herself. I can see her like many skating in shows and then doing a quasi comeback but I don't think it will work forher. Yuna was a rarity but she wisely came back last year. Thanks for the memories Mao now start some new memories your life has a wonderful new chapter waiting for you

I am not so sure it would be great to see Mao continues - if she wants too I guess okay but really she has not corrected her techniques with jumps. She stopped growing as an artst and she has consistency problems. She gambled with the triple axel and it hasn't worked out. I think it will be hard for her to try to motivate herself. I can see her like many skating in shows and then doing a quasi comeback but I don't think it will work forher. Yuna was a rarity but she wisely came back last year. Thanks for the memories Mao now start some new memories your life has a wonderful new chapter waiting for you

While he does offer some kind words for Mao, I think SkaterBoy is harsh and inaccurate in his judgement of Mao Asada's recent performances and on his assessment of her development in artistry and jumps. If you look at the thread on this site, "If you could see only 10 Long Programs the rest of your life," you will notice that Mao's Rochmaninoff's performance at Sochi received more votes than any other performance with 10 posters. Mine is only one of those posts. Furthermore, Tara Lipinski, Elvis Stojko and Kathleen Porter at CBC all said that she had the best Free Program, with Stojko saying that she had hands down the best performance for ALL figure skaters- pairs, men's and women's. Posters at youtube- even including some Yuna Kim fans- have also given her the greatest praise of all the skates at Sochi. Her score for this program was held down in order to allow Lipnitskaya a chance to leap frog her in the standings with an inflated PCS score and would have likely approached a world record with more equitable judging. If the competition had been fairly scored, I believe she would have earned a bronze medal, which goes a long way to disproving those who say should retire because she chokes under pressure. In addition, she has won 6 consecutive Grand Prix evens and 2 Grand Prix championships and scored over 200 points three times in a row during the Grand Prix Season WITHOUT SCORE INFLATION or Russian and Gold rigging. BEFORE the Inflated Russian PCS scores at Europeans and the inflated Russian and Gracie Gold scores at the Olympics, only two skaters in history had ever earned over 200 points in one competition in international competition: Mao Asada and Yunka Kim.

In terms of jumps, I showed one of my friends the performances of Mao Asada, Adelina Sotnikova and Yuna Kim in succession. He said that he liked Mao Asada's performance the best because of her beautiful jumps. I also noticed that during her Sochi performance she had developed a remarkably smooth fluidity entering and exiting her jumps, that she has developed a beautiful tight spiral, and a rapid whip-like motion that I don’t see in the other competitors. Most artistically of all, she has developed an exquisitely graceful, balletic flow of her entire upper body as she looks back to the exit of the jump- a gracefulness that Sotnikova tries to emulate but does not come close to. I will grant that in terms of the scoring system, she needs to improve her height, distance, speed and rotation- but in terms of aesthetic beauty, which is the most important to me, her jumps are the most exquisite. Under the 6 point system, she would have likely been much more successful than the highly mathematically-based one now, under which her balletic qualities and emotional resonance seem to not be factored in by the judges. Besides, the current system seems to penalize her body type because she is too slender to generate great height, speed and distance in her jumps. I ask rhetorically, how important should this be to the beauty of figure skating?

I would really like her to continue skating because I don’t think anyone else has her combination of artistry, grace, guts, flexibility, daring and emotional resonance, which she has fully developed this year. Who else will risk it all to give us the triple axel, which will obviously make her a little less consistent. However, I am afraid that the ridiculous score inflation of her main competitors- from 8 to 20 points in PCS alone for Kostner, the Russians and Gracie Gold while her PCS has remains totally flat- indicates that the scoring system is now obviously rigged against her, as if the ISU is actively trying to put her out to pasture . Furthermore, the cruelty of the Japanese Prime Minister’s comments, critical articles in the Japan Times, the strictness with which her jumps are scrutinized, and fans who seem to pity her as if she doesn’t have any great achievements, all suggest that she should retire because she simply isn’t given the respect and appreciation she deserves. You don’t know what she got till it’s gone is my comment for all these critics and bashers. Therefore, in the interest of her mental and physical health- how many more contorted spins, triple axels and triple jumps will she have to do now in order to combat this ridiculous inflation- I think it would be better for her to retire. However, deep down I think her fighter instinct will get the best of her and she will continue. After Socheat with Russia’s rigged referendum in Crimea as evidence, the placement of skaters in a competition should be secondary if not irrelevant to the performances anyway.

You'd have someone who blew 3 out of 3 jump passes in the SP leapfrog into the bronze race? Not to mention how overall lackluster her SP was. That would be some pretty inflated PCS scores right there just to get into 4th. Don't get me wrong I love Mao and her FS brought tears to my eyes but come on...bronze? You're blinded by your biases. At least I admit Yulia was over scored. Mao was too in the FS. Just like everyone else not named Ashley!

I honestly rooted for Mao going into the Olympics. I love her fire and her footwork is beyond I just hope she does what she wants to do. She has nothing left to prove. She shouldn't stay to prove anything. She should only stay because she enjoys skating at this level. I'd be willing to bet she is done after this. I'll go one step further and suggest it's likely in her best interest but I'll continue to support her either way. Her story is one for the ages!

Edit- Taking cheap shots at other countries and trying to associate political issues to skaters is kind of childish and undermines your credibility to me at least. If you want to make a case for Mao you should do it with respect and sensitivity as she would. All these girls are deserving of medals. You can use little kid name calling such as Socheat all you want but that doesn't change that fact that Mao is the only one who took herself off of the podium. I know that's true in Yulia's case too.

You'd have someone who blew 3 out of 3 jump passes in the SP leapfrog into the bronze race? Not to mention how overall lackluster her SP was. That would be some pretty inflated PCS scores right there just to get into 4th. Don't get me wrong I love Mao and her FS brought tears to my eyes but come on...bronze? You're blinded by your biases. At least I admit Yulia was over scored. Mao was too in the FS. Just like everyone else not named Ashley!

Mao overscored in her Sochi LP? If you are going by BoP's assessment, you'll notice that he had Mao winning the FS by a margin of 3 points, and he is a very tough scorer. He had Mao beating Yulia and Gracie by a margin of around 13 points (in other words ending up in 4th), Kim and Sotnikova by 3 points, and Carolina by 8 points. And that was without giving credit for the 2A-3T which I think shouldn't have been given the <. Calling her overscored "like everyone else not named Ashley" is disingenuous and highly misleading. I don't think she deserved bronze but I am far from the only one who thinks she should've been 4th.

I mean no disrespect to Mao or her fans. I just think her SP was more devestating than people want to remember and it was detrimental to her final position. Going from 16th to 6th was amazing. Sure put her in 5th. At that point it's hard for me to care. Yulia was defeated too in the SP.

"More devastating than people want to remember" as if being in 16th place wasn't enough? Putting her in 4th doesn't require inflated PCS, it just requires giving the other skaters their proper scores or giving Asada the same inflation as the skaters in the final flight. Like I said, she was rightly out of the running for bronze with the way the medalists skated, but with her overwhelming technical content she easily should have placed over the two skaters who each fell in the LP.

"More devastating than people want to remember" as if being in 16th place wasn't enough? Putting her in 4th doesn't require inflated PCS, it just requires giving the other skaters their proper scores or giving Asada the same inflation as the skaters in the final flight. Like I said, she was rightly out of the running for bronze with the way the medalists skated, but with her overwhelming technical content she easily should have placed over the two skaters who each fell in the LP.

I can see an argument for that. Honestly 4th to 6th was a disappointment for Yulia and Mao that I'm trying to forget about. Gracie was "overall" better than both IMO. BoP is defenitely a very stingy judge...I'll agree there too.